It should be self-explanatory when you’ve been invaded by bees, right? Wrong! Property inspectors can easily miss a potential issue, such as… oh, you know, a large beehive and honeycombs in your living room wall! For people who are deathly allergic to bees, you need help with bee removal stat – call a professional bee removal company. The great thing about bee removal is that relocation is quick and easy since there are beekeepers in every state, all over the U.S.

So far, this year, in San Diego County alone, bee removal companies have been inundated with calls from Ramona to Rancho Bernardo, and everywhere in between reporting an influx of swarms. All the recent rainy weather is to blame for bees making your house their new home.

Even an amateur beekeeper was sent to the hospital from a bee attack, so don’t take your chances. If you see bees around your property for more that 2-3 days, it could be a sign that they’ve started a hive or a swarm, and you should act before the swarm gets too big, or you’ll end up with a hive in the walls of your home or business. Bees tend to move on after a day or two, unless they’ve found a structure on which to build a new beehive. In that case, if you follow their flight pattern, they’ll take you right to the source of their hive.

Bee Removal: Handling the Beehive

When handling the beehive (also known as a “swarm”), there are a couple of approaches that professionals take to remove the bees.

Live Bee Removal: The safest and easiest way to remove and relocate bees is through the process of live bee removal. Professionals use a special bee vacuum to collect the colony. The bee vacuum is attached to a big container that houses the typical wood and hardware cloth (metal screen) box you see beekeepers carry them in, and when sucked up into the vacuum, all the bees are collected into the wood and metal screen container. They’re now ready for the bee farm.

Destroy the Hive: once the swarm gets too big the bees will have to be destroyed; they cannot be relocated because it would be too dangerous.

Occasionally, if the situation allows for it, the professional can just transfer the entire swarmed honeycomb into a special box or container, without the use of a vacuum, and relocate them to a bee farm (i.e., beekeepers).

NEVER try to handle a beehive on your own. Here are some important tips to remember when dealing with bees on, or around your property:

Swarms tend to build on trees, screens, and even cracks on homes or buildings. They also nest in sheds, porches, attics, utility boxes, and even garbage containers.

Once they go into a stable structure with a lot of support, and they move in, they won’t leave. It’s best to handle the situation immediately before the bees cause major damage.

Do not handle the job yourself; call a professional. On the off chance that you’re dealing with Africanized bees (“Killer Bees”), you could put yourself, your family, or other people in danger. Africanized bees are only slightly smaller than other honey bees, and only trained professionals will know the difference.

Do not spray the hive/swarm with water, or try to light it on fire – yes, there are people who have done this – it will only agitate the bees to sting, as they become increasingly aggressive.

Bee Removal: Bee Proofing and Prevention

For bee proofing and prevention, the plan is simple. You want to close off any potential entry points, or areas that bees can nest. This seems like it would be a long list since bees aren’t very big, but here’s a breakdown:

Seal all cracks and crevices that are 1/4-inch or larger on or around your home, building, or property – including sheds.

Bee Removal: Opening & Repairing Structures

If you’ve ever had bees infest your home or business, or you think you might have an infestation, it helps to know that it’s not the end of the world. There are numerous cases each year where the wax and honey seep through the drywall, which is sometimes the only indication that they’re present, along with damage.

After opening the structure, professionals will remove the hive and honeycombs, and relocate them, if possible. Then the process of clean-up and repair happens. Some companies just close-up the wall, but if the excess honey and wax are not removed/cleaned up, they melt and rot. This will cause further damage to the interior of the structure. Maybe even cause further infestation of bees and even cockroaches later down the road.

Some pest control companies not only handle the removal of your pest, but also fix damages caused by something like bee infestation. Removing and replacing the damaged drywall, installing new insulation (insulation is something Wildlife Removal Services can do), and painting the closure to match the original structure is all in a day’s work. For more information on these services, contact your local pest removal company.

Additional Information About Bees: Interesting Facts

The Hive Order: There are three types of bees in a hive colony – Queen, Worker, and the Drones. The queen rules, the (female) worker bees do all the work, and the (male) drones mate with the queen. Also, drones are born without stingers.

Honey bees never sleep and are the only bees that die after they sting.

Bees communicate with each other through pheromones and dance.

Honey bees travel up to 15 miles per hour, and approximately 3 miles from the hive.

Bees maintain a temperature of 92-93 degrees Fahrenheit, regardless of the weather outside.